The present invention relates to a passenger covering, and specifically to a motor vehicle part, particularly for use in passenger cars.
The object of the present invention is to increase the comfort of a passenger in a motor vehicle, particularly a passenger car, through a motor vehicle part.
The motor vehicle part according to the invention comprises a winding shaft which can be supported within the motor vehicle in front of a passenger seat and which has a blanket, or the like covering, wound on the shaft, which blanket can be wound on and off the shaft.
The invention protects against the cold and increases the comfort of a passenger during travel, for instance, the person sitting next to the driver. However, it can also be used by the driver of the vehicle, for instance during pauses for rest or sleep. The invention is convenient to handle, space-saving in arrangement, and inexpensive to manufacture.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the motor vehicle equipment part includes, in addition to the winding shaft and the blanket, a blanket guide having an internal opening which is a funnel shaped or tapering shaped. The edges of the opening fold over each of the lateral edges of the blanket by about 180.degree. upon the rolling up of the blanket through the guide and onto the shaft. The guide opening is preferably of rectangular cross-section. The narrow end of the funnel opening of the guide, that is, the end adjacent the winding shaft, has a width equal to approximately half the width of the blanket.
The shaping of the guide opening permits a relatively wide blanket to be used, which completely covers the body of a passenger. Yet, because the blanket is guided positively by the guide element, which could also be referred to as a folding device, the blanket can be stored in a very small space in the vehicle, folded over and wound up on the winding shaft, since its width is reduced practically by half due to the folding over of its longitudinal edges upon its being rolled up.
The winding shaft may be equipped with a spring which urges the rolling up of the blanket or, alternatively, it may be provided with an electromotive drive that performs that function. Such winding shafts are known, for instance, in the case of window blinds, and they can be obtained as parts ready for installation.
In a further development of the invention, at least the inner wall defining the opening of the guide may be comprised of metal or plastic, which is smooth and/or which is provided witha friction-reducing coating so that the blanket does not become particularly worn or roughened upon rolling and unrolling.
The motor vehicle part of the invention can be adapted to be fastened in or preferably on the bottom of a motor vehicle instrument panel which supports it. However, the part may be arranged at the back of the car seat in front of the passenger to be covered, which is useful for rows of seats in buses, airplanes, ships, and the like. For considerations of space, in such cases, there is an arrangement enabling the guide element to be swung away into a depression, or the like, in the panel or other support when not in use.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.